Marc and Jodie Emery, Canada’s self-proclaimed “Prince and Princess of Pot,” have been arrested in Toronto ahead of coordinated raids at their Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensaries across the country.

The couple’s Vancouver-based lawyer, Kirk Tousaw, said the marijuana activists were arrested at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport Wednesday night and were being held in custody while awaiting bail hearings Thursday.

The Emerys own 19 Cannabis Culture marijuana dispensaries across Canada and Toronto police said Thursday they had executed 11 raids in connection with an investigation targeting the dispensaries — dubbed Project Gator.

Five Cannabis Culture locations in Toronto, one in Hamilton and one in Vancouver were raided and police said a total of five people had been arrested across the country in connection with the investigation.

Vancouver police confirmed to Global News they had raided one Cannabis Culture location in the city in conjunction with the Toronto police investigation. The Ottawa Cannabis Culture dispensary raid was reportedly not connected with the investigation.

Toronto police said they are still determining what charges will be laid, but said search warrants were also executed on two Toronto residences, one in Vancouver and one in Stoney Creek, Ont.

“Make no mistake, this is not about public safety. This is not about protecting the public,” Tousaw said in a statement.

“There is no harm being done by the production and sale of cannabis, for medical or recreational purposes, in storefront dispensaries.”

“From what we understand, is that various owners of Cannabis Culture franchises are now being arrested,” Curley said.

“Britney Guerra, the owner of Cannabis Culture Hamilton, was just recently arrested at her house in Hamilton.”

Curley said Cannabis Culture franchise owners Chris and Erin Goodwin were also “confronted by police” at the Toronto courthouse while they were waiting to provide bail money for the Emerys.

“They were arrested on site for possession for the purpose of trafficking,” she said. “[We are] a little shocked that it’s happening so fast and so quickly and so many people being affected right now.”

Brown said the arrests of franchise owners were “heartbreaking” but would not affect the operation of the dispensaries going forward.

“The cannabis industry is not going to change. It’s a small bump in the cannabis industry,” she said. “I’m assuming Cannabis Cultures will be back open in the next day or so.”

The Emerys were reportedly travelling to Barcelona, Spain to attend cannabis expo Spannabis, according to a Facebook post by Marc Emery.

Jodie Emery previously said she intended to open her latest location in Ottawa, just steps from the Parliament Buildings.

The 32-year-old recently appeared as a guest on AM980’s The Pulse with Devon Peacock after London Police raided five dispensaries in the city last Thursday.

The raids carried out by London Police took place two days after Bill Blair, former Toronto police chief and current parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice, came to London to visit with police leadership and city officials to discuss a regulatory framework for legalizing marijuana in Canada.

In December, 10 people were arrested by police in Montreal after raids on six newly opened Cannabis Culture dispensaries.

In May 2016, Toronto police raided dozens of marijuana dispensaries in the city, seized hundreds of kilograms of marijuana and laid more than 250 charges under an investigation dubbed Project Claudia.

Toronto police said at the time the raids were due to concerns over the “rapid increase of opening of illegal dispensaries” and the “lack of quality control” that could affect public health and safety.

(The following article is posted from a website that I happened to come across today while looking for information on the “MERRP Model” for RE-Legalization. I decided to repost it because I think the opinion that is offered needs to be heard and RE-Legalization vs. Legal-Lies or “Legalize” has to be made known. SK)

(1) Introduction

This may be the ultimate indictment of the “moneyed” drug reform movement in this country and I urge you to distribute this article as widely as possible.

This is the 8th in a series of essays on the MERP Model for Re-Legalizing Marijuana throughout the planet. In this essay I am exposing the “smoking gun” evidence that will show that the “Marijuana Policy Project” (MPP) is secretively plotting to put an end to the personal cultivation of Marijuana which has been a perennial goal of all Marijuana activists since the mid-1960’s. This betrayal, of both Cannabis activists and the MERP Model, requires that MPP is cut off from any further activist funding. You will find links to all past and future essays, concerning “MERP” at the following link:

(2) Some Brief Background on the Re-Legalization Movement from the 1960’s through 2008

1967 was the year that the first major petition, demanding Marijuana Re-Legalization, was placed in the London Times by Paul McCartney. Here is a brief description of the petition from Barry Miles “Beatles Diary:”

The “Pot” Ad

The Times ran a full page advertisement on July 24th, 1967, headed, “The law against marijuana is immoral in principle and unworkable in practice” which was signed by, among other, all four Beatles and Brian Epstein. The petition’s arguments included the following: that the smoking of cannabis on private premises should no longer constitute an offence; cannabis should be taken off the dangerous drugs list and controlled, rather than prohibited; possession of cannabis should either be legally permitted or at most be considered a misdemeanor and that all person now imprisoned for possession of cannabis or for allowing cannabis to be smoke on private premises should have their sentences commuted.

It was signed by 65 eminent names including Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the DNA molecule and a Nobel laureate, novelist Graham Greene, and MPs Brian Walden and Rom Drilberg, as well as future MP Jonathan Aitkin, but the four MBEs caused the most press concern. Questions were asked in the House, and a chain of events set off, which did actually result in the liberalization of the laws against pot in Britain. the advertisement was paid for by the Beatles at Paul McCartney’s instigation.

The Beatles Diary: The Beatles years By Barry Miles

Four years later (1971) another Beatle, John Lennon, came to the assistance of Michigan activist John Sinclair, who had been put in prison for 10 years for getting arrested with a mere 2 Marijuana cigarettes. Recently John Sinclair became the most important luminary to join the roster of activists supporting the MERP Model for Marijuana Re-Legalization. And the list of supporters is growing by the day.So for nearly 42 years we have now been fighting to end the prohibition of Marijuana throughout this planet. Am I the only one that is angered that we have not yet achieved this goal? Think about it. It only took 13 years to realize that Alcohol Prohibition was a mistake, despite it being a far more dangerous drug than Marijuana. Yet it has now been 71 years, that we have endured Marijuana Prohibition, and despite 52% support nationwide (see Zogby Poll), our representatives continue to ignore us.

Despite numerous feeble attempts it was not until 1996 — 29 years later — that the first Medical Marijuana Initiative, Proposition 215, was passed in California. George Soros was a major contributor to Prop 215 but, according to activist Ron Kiczenski, he was not able to have much input into the structure of this initiative which had no limits to the number of plants that a patient could grow. Proposition 215 also held the counties responsible for granting citizens access to “Medical Marijuana.”

For the uninitiated here is what you should know about George Soros:

(1) He is the primary funding source for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) headed by Ethan Nadleman and the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) headed by Rob Kampia.(2) He has been the primary source of funding for the remaining 12 Medical Marijuana initiatives that have passed through 2008.(3) He is a ruthless Globalist who supports gun control, open borders and is also a primary funding source to dozens of drug reform organizations throughout the planet.(4) It is becoming clearer, by the day, that Soros is positioning himself to profit from a highly “taxed and regulated” Marijuana industry that will not destroy the drug cartels or stop the arrest of American Cannabis consumers.

So it is not a big surprise that Soros funded California Senate Bill 420 (SB 420), after Prop 215 passed. This was Soros’s attempt to limit the number of plants that a patient could grow. Fortunately the Californian Appeals Court found SB420 unconstitutional because it did attempt to set limits.

Undeterred Soros became the primary funding source for the remaining 12 Medical Marijuana Initiatives which culminated in the passage of the Michigan Initiative in November 2008. But the clever little Soros made sure that most of the remaining 12 initiatives were restricted to a 12 Plant limit for the Medical Patient or the Caregiver.

This concludes my brief summary of Soros activities through 2008. It should also be clear that Soros has shown absolutely no inclination to support initiatives that allow personal cultivation for healthy Cannabis consumers. In fact Ethan Nadleman would not allow me access to Soros when I attempted to garner more funding for the Michigan Personal Marijuana Initiative (PRA) in July 2001. We had collected over 270,000 signatures and needed additional funding to bring in professional canvassers to get the remaining 180,000 signatures. But Nadleman and Soros “just said no” and the initiative never made the ballot.

In a recent email from MPP they talk about the pending AZ Medical Marijuana Initiative:

“What’s unique about the Arizona law is that it would permit qualifying patients or their caregivers to legally purchase marijuana from licensed dispensaries — so they wouldn’t need to obtain it from the criminal market”.

Once you understand what Kampia (MPP) is really hiding you will have every right to get pissed off. You see, under this initiative (should it pass), you will NOT be able to cultivate the common 12 Plant maximum unless you live more than 25 miles from a licensed dispensary.

Here is what Rob Kampia and Soros did not want the Cannabis Activist Community to understand:

“Qualifying patients who live more than 25 miles from the nearest dispensary will be allowed to cultivate up to 12 marijuana plants for personal use.”In other words, once there are enough dispensaries individual consumers will no longer be able to cultivate their own Marijuana!So the only thing “unique” about Rob Kampia’s (President of MPP) AZ initiative is that it will basically prohibit personal cultivation as soon as Soros can set up his network of “Medical Marijuana Dispensaries.”. On that count alone I urge everyone in AZ to reject this flawed initiative and stop supporting MPP or DPA.

I have not assembled all of the puzzle pieces here but certainly enough to make the case that Soros, Kampia and Nadleman are not honest brokers of the drug policy reform that most Americans would like to see. untaxed, unregulated cultivation by all American Citizens over the age of 18.

It is also becoming clear that the media is slowly attempting to “manufacture consent” for a highly regulated “tax and regulate” model for Marijuana Re-Legalization that will force American Citizens to pay exorbitant prices for Marijuana (e.g., $300 to $500 and ounce) in order to feed the tax coffers of local, state and federal government. Why would we want to allow this when the MERP Model would allow you to grow for free outside or for about $30 and ounce if grown indoors under lamps.

A fellow activist also made the astute observation that Obama is most probably also in on this betrayal. Just consider the following excerpt from a recent Christian Science Monitor article on this subject:“Several recent polls show stepped-up public support for legalization. This means not only lifting restrictions on use (“decriminalization”), but also on supply – production and sales. The Obama administration, meanwhile, says the US Drug Enforcement Agency will no longer raid dispensaries of medical marijuana – which is illegal under federal law – in states where it is legal.”Legalize marijuana? Not so fast.

This is how she put it after we discussed the flawed AZ initiative in some detail:

“This is why MPP wants to put the power and control of med pot distribution and sales into dispensaries. and take it out of the hands of the patients. Do the dispensaries now become the care giver/grower as well? How many plants are they allowed to grow? Dispensaries will be popping up like convenience stores if that is the case. I see a whole new set of laws coming under corporate oversight and it’s screaming MONSANTO/DUPONT GENETIC PATENT ON SEED AND PLANT DISPENSARY CONTROL. What a set up…Obama said he won’t raid “DISPENSARIES” in states where medical marijuana is legal…that is why they are taking the power away from home growers/patients…These dispensaries will fall under federal laws….and more than likely federal control and regulation. Sneaky, sneaky.”

This is exactly what I have been warning people about for years regarding the major drug reform groups supported by George Soros. Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) are two of the greatest beneficiaries of Soros funds. But Soros funds dozens of groups throughout the United States and dozens more outside of the United States .

As an activist in drug reform for over 20 years my goal has always been to change the laws so that ALL American adults, not just the sick, would be able to consume and cultivate their own Marijuana. And under the MERP Model we will be able to do this just like we are currently able to produce our own homemade beer and wine: without any taxation, regulation or government interference. To that end I have come up with the MERP Model and have produced a series of essays and videos to explain how it would be implemented:

It is bad enough that Soros is moving to “cash in” on Medical Marijuana by prohibiting personal cultivation. What is worse is that such initiatives will do nothing to destroy the Drug Cartels, Terrorist Organizations and Gangs that profit from the illicit sale of Marijuana. The only model that would assure this outcome is the MERP Model, because it would essentially take all but the normal profit out of the Marijuana market.For most goods the “normal profit” is usually about twice the cost of producing the product. So in the case of Marijuana you can grow it for about 20 to 30 dollars per ounce using the latest hydroponic techniques and High Intensity Discharge lamps. So you would expect the “normal profit” to be somewhere between $40 to $60 dollars an ounce. But the MPP Arizona initiative would do nothing to eliminate the “black marketing” of Marijuana where an ounce will still sell from between $300 and $600 an ounce. In such a setting the Medical Dispensaries, Terrorists, Mexican Drug Cartels etc. will continue to thrive at our expense.

(4) Summary

By looking retrospectively at the the activities of Soros it is clear that he is against any form of personal cultivation and more than likely expects to profit handsomely from a highly “taxed and regulated” system of drug reform. It is also clear that Obama and the Corporate Media are also on board to manufacture consent for such a stupid and short sighted model.

But from the Hippies of the 60’s, to the Activists of the New Millennium, we have always wanted full rights to cultivate Mother Nature’s plant without the encumbrances of taxes, regulations or other excuses for the government to invade our homes and properties. As far as I’m concerned Soros, Kampia and Nadleman can go “nadle” one another. We have uncovered their deception and we will no longer support their flawed plans to control both us and our plant.

I think it is time we stop supporting these Soros-supported organizations and unite to achieve the only solution that will destroy the Cartels and serve the common good: the MERP Model. It already enjoys the support of thousands of activists including some of the most important luminaries of the movement: John Sinclair, Ron Kiczenski and Bruce W. Cain (Editor of New Age Citizen).

Like this:

Long before Loretta Nall campaigned on her cleavage, the activist’s cause was cannabis. The Alabama resident gained national attention during her 2006 gubernatorial campaign when she produced T-shirts with the caption “More of these boobs …” (with a photo of Nall in a low-cut shirt) “… And less of these boobs” (next to photos of her opponents). But the write-in candidate’s political roots date back to 2002, when a misdemeanor arrest for possession was the spark behind her forming the U.S. Marijuana Party (USMJP). The group — which demands “an end to the unconstitutional prohibition of marijuana” — has official party chapters in seven states, including Colorado, Illinois and Kentucky. While Nall left the USMJP to be a Libertarian Party governor nominee, the group continues to back candidates in local, state and national elections under the leadership of Richard Rawlings, who is currently running for Congress in Illinois.

In 2003 I started my quest for knowledge regarding Cannabis and Medical Cannabis. In 2005 I met Ms. Tonya Davis and accompanied her to a few meetings and festivals in Ohio. There I met Lynne Wilson and also Rev. Mary Thomas Spears who has become my closest friend since then. I remember asking Tonya Davis in 2005 if there was a political way to beat the beast so to speak, and asked her about “REPEAL” but at the time most people were in to “Legalization”.

I went home, looked up the U.S. Marijuana Party as I had occasion to come upon it previously on the internet and had created an account there. I made a phone call to Richard Rawlings. I had posted on the then kentucky.usmjparty.com but it had been taken down right before I contacted him and in fact that was my reason for calling, to find out what happened to Kentucky.

It so happened that this was about the same time as the inquiry into Marc Emery was being made by the U.S. DEA for shipping Cannabis seeds by mail to the U.S. (See this Link). At the time I knew nothing about what was going on. Richard put the Kentucky site back up and gave me Administrator status over it. That was the beginning of my journey with the U.S. Marijuana Party.

From the beginning I was a “Repealer” and posted as such on the Kentucky site. But it would be a number of years before the Party itself crossed over to being a true repeal group.

About 20 or more States were lost after Marc Emery was indicted. I stayed on. I do not think I even realized that he had been involved with the USMjParty to any extent and I do not believe he did have any involvement, at least by the time I started in Kentucky which was 2005.

Eventually in 2010 Richard offered me V.P. status which I hesitantly accepted because I never wanted to be a politician, it just was not my line of work so to speak. However, after much thought I did accept and we continued on with the USMjParty even though there was no income to be had for doing it. It was a passion and a way of life – not one to collect “funds” from.

In 2011 Richard started to become ill and by the later part of 2011 I was forced into making a decision I did not want to make but it was part of the job. I called Bill Chengelis who was the Colorado Chair at the time and asked him to take Richard’s place as Head Chairman of the USMjParty. I would remain on as the Kentucky Chair until the position could be filled by someone else – but that never happened.

By 2012 Richard was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer and we stayed together until his death in February 2013. He left me with all of his websites and the USMjParty.

I definitely did not want to be Head Chair so I decided that I would change my position considering what I had been left with to Organizer of USMjParty and I remained Kentucky Chair as well.
Since then I have focused around all the other people who have came in and out of the USMjParty as State Chairs and kept up the websites and other duties. Today we have Chairs in Colorado, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Utah , Vermont and Oregon as well as other reporting Chapters in Hawaii,Florida, California, Idaho, Virginia, Washington State, Texas, and there are others as well waiting for a Reporter. Please see this LINK for a Directory.

Today we push for REPEAL of the CSA as well as other Federal and U.N. laws which continue to dominate the Law even though Cannabis has been “legalized” in 23+ States. Federally it is still an illegal substance under U.N. law via the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971) . These are all grave issues which need to be addressed along with the commercialization and pharmaceutical takeover of this plant, which is in effect ONE plant…Cannabis Sativa L.

REPEAL is the only path to true freedom of this plant. If we let legalization and CSA Schedule II take it over we have lost the war for the common person who wishes to grow their own on their own property without taxation.

Right now, officials are only testing the kits for accuracy and reliability, administering them to volunteers after an arrest is complete. If they prove reliable, lawmakers say they will consider legislation next year to expand their use as a common part of police work.

Schwendau says police might soon use the swab kits in the same way they rely on roadside breath tests to identify drunken drivers, adding one more step to “remove that question of doubt” during a traffic stop.

Defense attorneys are more skeptical, warning that the tests could lead to invasive searches or give officers false pretense for arrests.

“They are chipping away at our rights — I just don’t know how else to put it,” said Larry “The DUI Guy” Forman, an attorney in Louisville who specializes in impaired driving cases.

Damon Preston, deputy public advocate at the Department of Public Advocacy, cautions that the courts still need to determine the reliability of the kits and what circumstances warrant their use in the field.

“The ease or simplicity of a sobriety test should never infringe upon the rights of persons to be free from unwarranted or invasive searches of their bodies,” he said.

The side of safety

The swabs don’t show a person’s level of impairment — only that drugs are present in their system. Supporters say Kentucky law would not allow them as evidence in court, and to build a case, police would still rely on the same process they currently use in investigations.

That typically involves a field sobriety test followed by an evaluation from a drug recognition expert, who is trained to monitor the suspect’s behavior and physical condition to determine their level of intoxication. Police also collect blood samples, which are much more conclusive.

Schwendau said the roadside tests could help police narrow down which drugs to test for in a blood sample. He said the kits already have proved successful in other states, particularity in California where authorities have upped the ante with digital devices precise enough to provide court evidence. That has saved the state money in the long run because more suspects are pleading out cases, he said.

On his website, Forman advises people to refuse field sobriety tests and breathalyzers to improve their chances of a successful defense in court. If swabs become commonplace in Kentucky, Forman says, drivers should refuse them as well.

One problem, he argues, could occur when people use drugs earlier in the day but are pulled over after the effects have worn off. He cited concerns that the swab could still test positive even though a driver is no longer under the influence.

Forman also questions how variations in temperature or allowing kits to sit in a hot police car for long periods might affect the results.

“It just gets really, really hairy, really fast,” he said.

But Schwendau points out that drivers who are not impaired will be vindicated in later tests. He also worries that while most people know it’s wrong to get behind the wheel drunk, many still think it’s OK to take an extra prescription pill before driving.

“We are doing it to save lives and get risks off the road,” he said. For police, “the best decision I think always is to err on the side of safety.”

Deadly risks

According to Kentucky State Police, authorities suspected that drugs were a factor in nearly 1,600 traffic collisions across the state last year, resulting in 939 injuries and 214 deaths.

In some areas struggling with epidemic drug abuse, high drivers are more common than drunken drivers, according to Van Ingram, head of the Office of Drug Control Policy. A lot of areas are having problems with drivers who are intoxicated on both drugs and alcohol, he said.

House Judiciary Chairman John Tilley, D-Hopkinsville, said lawmakers will want to look at the highway safety office’s pilot project before putting forth any legislation. Still, he reasons that the swabs also could help exclude drivers who might otherwise fall suspect because they swerved accidentally.

Officials have distributed 100 kits for the pilot tests, which they hope to wrap up in October.

Schwendau said he will bring the results to a state task force on impaired driving along with the Governor’s Executive Committee on Highway Safety.

Even if the kits are approved and adopted, police face a cost of $7 per unit.

Schwendau said local communities would have to choose whether to use them since the kits are too expensive for the state to provide. But departments could apply for federal grants, he said.

“It’s not our place to force it on them,” Schwendau said. “We just want to offer them a better tool.”

Reporter Mike Wynn can be reached at (502) 875-5136. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeWynn_CJ.

The Official Court Documents that I present to you below here, {THIS ONE TIME, FOR FREE = this offer will not last and is for a limited amount of time = THIS SET OF DOCUMENTS WILL GO MISSING AND A FEE WILL BE CHARGED LATER FOR THIS INFORMATION} The following Documents were presented, accepted and registered by the Criminal or Courts as “Evidence” as they were listed by the Kentucky Courts in a case I recently Advocated in on behalf of James E. Coleman.Are in fact, the PROOF, that Cannabis/Marijuana/Hemp or Unspecified levels of Cannabinoids are natural within the human body and that their presence or levels or “analytical threshold” combined with the fact that this test measures “no quantification of a specific compound” in the blood, are proof, there has been no measure of intoxication, performed by this test where cannabiniods are concerned and that this test can not show toxicity.According to this Expert Witness.
Therefore they are unable to test levels for intoxication as they claim is claimed by the manufacture of the test and/or Law Enforcement in U.I. charges or related cases. These documented facts apply to the Test it’s self given and the Cannabinoid levels… Therefore apply to all these D.O.A. = “Drug of Abuse” Blood Serum U.I. Test used by Law Enforcement and Not the Individual. As these facts apply to all humans and all these Test.

Hallelujah!

It is my opinion that the “Repeal” option should be utilized more often when good people get hurt by a bad law!

That is the reason that I post about “repealing” the laws surrounding the criminalization of the Cannabis plant.

The whole plant! Marijuana and hemp are terms used to distinguish the differences in the THC ratio/level of a given plant, however, they are both one in the same species, “Cannabis”.

The Cannabis plant is a god-given or “earthly” gift to all of the Human species to do with as they will.

As Humans have “free will” by the law of “nature” or “karma” or even using the famous quote of Newton, “…for every action there is an equal yet opposite reaction…”, and that for every good there is an evil -( it’s what evens things out) there will be those people who will misuse it. We cannot control that. Just as there will always be people who abuse Alcohol and Codeine. (I could list about a zillion more drugs of abuse here but I wont) Cannabis IS THE ONE PLANT that can be safely used without much intervention. It is safe for most people and I do not believe in addiction to Cannabis. I’ve smoked most of my life and have also done without for periods of time with no indications of addiction.

So using this logic I ask you should not the laws surrounding the “Drug War” be repealed? The laws which sent and are continuing to send people to corporate run prisons? Any law that turns a good citizen into a common criminal should be repealed, not the least of which is the laws surrounding Cannabis.

You cannot just continue to add more law on top of more law to correct the old laws which were enacted to further the law of commerce and enslave people to begin with.

But you can damn sure go back and get rid of the bad laws via repeal, which will give people free will once again and then you can guide them in the best direction possible without incarcerating them for doing something just because you do not like it.

The “REPEAL OBAMACARE” attempt is going to be a good case to watch. It could set a precedent for the “repeal” of other bad laws.

In the meantime I’ll continue to post and educate people concerning the differences between “legalize, tax and regulate”, or putting Cannabis into a Schedule II substance under the CSA (Controlled Substance Act) which is one of the worst things we could do right now, as putting it among common pharmaceuticals only increases the regulation and control thereof leading to even more arrests and possible prison time for “misusing a drug”. End prohibition now! Free our prisoners! REPEAL !.

Jul 28 2015

WASHINGTON – United States Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statements Tuesday on the important tools in the Senate’s balanced budget that allow Congress to pass legislation repealing Obamacare and its broken promises.Leader McConnell: “Earlier this year, Senate Republicans passed a balanced budget, and with it the necessary procedural tools – via the budget reconciliation process – to bring an end to the nightmare of Obamacare. Americans have faced skyrocketing health care costs, rampant fraud and more government between them and their doctors. And Republicans are united in working to repeal the broken promises of Obamacare and allow our country to start over fresh with real health reform that Americans deserve. We will continue our effort to use reconciliation – as the budget makes clear – to fulfill the promise we made to our constituents.”Sen. Lee: “Americans deserve quality health care at affordable prices and Obamacare is giving them the exact opposite. A Senate vote to repeal Obamacare on a simple majority basis through reconciliation is the best way to pursue that goal. The Majority Leader and I are committed to using reconciliation to repeal Obamacare in the 114th Congress.”

Additionally, see this information when Ireland Repeals laws dating back several hundred years!

The massive Statute Law Revision Act 2007 in the Republic of Ireland, through which 3,225 Acts were repealed, dating back over eight centuries to 1171 and the earliest laws enacted by England when it began its invasion of Ireland. The statutes repealed include a number of Acts of significant historical interest, including an Act of 1542 providing that the Kings of England shall be Kings of Ireland. This Act is the largest single repealing statute in the history of Ireland.

TWENTY YEARS OF NARCOTICS CONTROL UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS

III. The problems in 1946: the first solutions

In order to attempt an assessment of the work done and the evolution which took place since the Commission first met in November 1946, it is first necessary to ascertain what the narcotics situation was at that date. Three elements have to be taken into consideration: the first is the legal basis of the control, i.e. the international treaties then in existence. The second is the disruptions that the war had caused, and the third is the changes which occurred in the world during and immediately after the war. The Commission could not tackle these tasks one after the other and it had to work on all of them simultaneously. Still, it may be stated that, generally speaking, the task of bringing the narcotics situation of the world back to normal was the first undertaken. This occupied part of the first few sessions of the Commission. The Commission was, however, aware of the fact that it was not just taking over directly from the League of Nations, since there lay a six years’ gap in between. It had therefore to assess the changes which made it necessary to adapt the treaty system to the demands of the international community and to work out improvements to that system (through interim measures before addressing itself to the long-term exercise of drafting a single convention).

In 1946, the international control of narcotics was regulated by six treaties: the International Opium Convention signed at The Hague on 23 January 1912; the Agreement concerning the Manufacture, Internal Trade in and Use of Prepared Opium signed at Geneva on 11 February 1925; the International Opium Convention signed at Geneva on 19 February 1925; the Convention for Limiting the Manufacture and Regulating the Distribution of Narcotic Drugs signed at Geneva on 13 July 1931; the Agreement for the Control of Opium-Smoking in the Far East signed at Bangkok on 27 November 1931; and the Convention for the Suppression of the Illicit Traffic in Dangerous Drugs signed at Geneva on 26 July 1936.

The Hague Convention formulated the basic principles for the international control which have retained their validity to the present day. The two Agreements on opium smoking were very limited in scope and in fact had very little influence in terms of actual control.

Two pro-cannabis protesters interrupted a marijuana legalization press conference at the State House Thursday afternoon demanding that the substance be referred to cannabis and that any other term is as derogatory as referring to African Americans as the “N-word.”

In the video taken by WPRO’s Andrew Augustus, protesters holding signs marked with Bible verses, could be heard saying that slang terms for cannabis is “offensive to their religion” and that lawmakers wouldn’t refer to supporter of the Voter’s Rights Protection Act as the “N-Word” and that they shouldn’t do the same to marijuana.

The two activists are Allan Gordon, who says he has been fighting for legalization for 20 years, and Anne Armstrong who famously declared her write-in candidacy for Governor of Rhode Island in a YouTube video by smoking marijuana.

“From a single cannabis plant it’s impossible to produce the small limit they allow,” said Gordon.

Gordon and Armstrong are both in favor of legalizing cannabis but are against the regulation of it.

“It should be treated like any other plant or any other herb and there should be a system of safeguard and controls,” added Armstrong.

The bill is sponsored by Senator Josh Miller and Representative Scott Slater and will be introduced to both the House and Senate floors.

Today is the 81st anniversary of the repeal of federal alcohol prohibition.

The 21st Amendment ended the failed experiment of Prohibition and delegated the issue of alcohol legalization and regulation solely to the states.

The 21st Amendment was neither “for” nor “against” alcohol. It was simply an acknowledgment that federal prohibition was an obvious failure and a nod towards state’s and individual rights. No state was required to legalize alcohol. It was their choice.

The repeal of prohibition has been a tremendous success. This country has the best regulated beverage alcohol industry in the world while still being the world’s most dynamic. Just ask any beer drinker!

Fast forward to the present. Republicans made huge gains in last month’s elections, decisively winning control of the Senate, increasing their dominance in the House to a level not seen since the 40’s, controlling 33 governorships and more state legislators than any time since the 1920s. They now have the opportunity to cement and expand these gains and to create a permanent majority.

How? By leading the charge to end the federal prohibition of marijuana. You don’t have to be “pro-cannabis” to be against prohibition.

Like it or not, illicit marijuana is available in every corner of this country. Any teenager can get it with little effort. Most say it’s far easier to get than beer.

Criminal gangs across the country rake in tens of billions of dollars each year selling marijuana. Milton Friedman once said, “See, if you look at the drug war from a purely economic point of view, the role of the government is to protect the drug cartel. That’s literally true.”

In 2012, 750,000 people were arrested for mere possession. That’s about one arrest every 48 seconds! And a disproportionate number of the people arrested on marijuana-related charges are minorities.

The federal prohibition of marijuana has been as profound a failure as the attempted federal prohibition against alcohol. The solution is the same. Let the states decide and regulate as they see fit.

Here in Colorado, the legalization of marijuana has been a resounding success. Teen use is down. Auto fatalities are at near historic lows. Crime is down across the board. Tax revenue is flowing in.

If Republicans want to expand their base, they need to show they truly believe in a liberty-based agenda. Reach out to groups that historically have not been favorable to the Republican brand and prove through action that they have much more in common than they might think. Individual freedom is a winning message for people of all colors and all walks of life.

Republicans in Congress should pass legislation within their first 60 days in office repealing federal prohibition and placing the issue with the individual states and their citizens.

A statement such as, “I’m personally against it but believe in the wisdom of the people” can be a get-out-of-jail-free card for all who fear being branded pro-marijuana. The issue isn’t for or against marijuana but rather whether a legal, state regulated market is preferable to a prohibition market. Alcohol or marijuana, the answer to this is clear.

The alternative is Republicans turning off another generation of voters who think of them as the party that speaks of individual freedom but whose actions suggest they want to control other people’s lives. These folks have seen the failure of big government and most big institutions. Their loyalty can be obtained, but the party has to walk the walk.

Think I exaggerate? Here in Colorado, the Republican challenger for governor was ahead by 10 points in a September poll. Then, showing the Republican skill for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, he stated he would like to recriminalize marijuana. His lead evaporated almost overnight.

He lost by 58,000 votes and singlehandedly damaged the Republican brand for a generation of young Colorado voters. There are over 10,000 people directly employed in this Colorado industry and hundreds of thousands of consumers. That’s a lot of voters to antagonize; many of them motivated single issue folks.

What if the GOP could create a new supporter every 48 seconds rather than trying to throw them in jail?

Freedom and liberty win. Prohibition and attempting to control people’s lives loses. Republicans, if you believe what you say, end the federal prohibition on marijuana. A permanent majority awaits. It is yours for the taking.

John Conlin is a self-employed management consultant providing services to beer, wine, and spirits distributors across the country. He is also in the process of starting a marijuana-infused edibles company.

The new guidance, released in a memorandum, will be implemented on a case-by-case basis and tribes must still follow federal guidelines, said Timothy Purdon, the U.S. attorney for North Dakota and the chairman of the Attorney General’s Subcommittee on Native American Issues.

It once again sends a message that we really don’t care about federal drug laws. – Kevin A. Sabet, an opponent of marijuana legalization and former advisor on drug issues to President Obama

It remains to be seen how many reservations will take advantage of the policy. Many tribes are opposed to legalizing pot on their lands, and federal officials will continue to enforce the law in those areas, if requested.

Southern California is home to nearly 30 federal- and state-recognized Indian tribes, with a total population of nearly 200,000, according to state estimates. The largest tribes operate profitable casinos and outlet malls, including those by the Morongo, Cabazon, San Manuel and Pechanga tribes.

Representatives of several of the largest tribes could not be reached for comment.

The policy comes on the heels of the 2013 Justice Department decision to stop most federal marijuana prosecutions in states that have legalized the possession or sale of pot. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and the District of Columbia have all moved to legalize the drug, though the D.C. law may be scaled back by Congress.

Some tribes see marijuana sales as a potential source of revenue, similar to cigarette sales and casino gambling, which have brought a financial boon to reservations across the country. Others, including the Yakama Reservation in Washington state, remain strongly opposed to the sale or use of marijuana on their lands.

Purdon said in an interview that the majority of Native American tribes, mindful of the painful legacy of alcohol abuse in their communities, appear to be against allowing marijuana use on their territory.

The federal government will continue to legally support those tribes that wish to ban marijuana, even in states that now permit its sale, Purdon said.

But the Justice Department will generally not attempt to enforce federal marijuana laws on federally recognized tribes that choose to allow it, as long as they meet eight federal guidelines, including that marijuana not be sold to minors and not be transported to areas that prohibit it.

“The tribes have the sovereign right to set the code on their reservations,” Purdon said.

John Walsh, the U.S. attorney for Colorado, said a primary purpose of the memorandum to be released Thursday is to assure U.S. attorney offices and tribes that despite the changes in Justice Department policy announced last year, federal prosecutors still have the authority to prosecute marijuana felonies on tribal lands.

In many cases, federal prosecutors are the only ones permitted by law to prosecute marijuana felonies on tribal lands.

Walsh said that the new memorandum, like the one issued for states last year, emphasizes that states or reservations must have “robust and effective regulatory systems in place” and that federal prosecutors reserve the right to take broader enforcement actions.

The policy is likely to be criticized in states opposed to marijuana sales, particularly those with Native American reservations.

Kevin A. Sabet, an opponent of marijuana legalization and former advisor on drug issues to President Obama, called the policy an “extremely troubling development.”

“It once again sends a message that we really don’t care about federal drug laws,” he said.

Sabet, director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida, said, “Native Americans and their families suffer disproportionately from addiction compared to other groups. The last thing they want is another commercialized industry that targets them for greater use.”

Pages

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.” -- Frank Zappa